NOT APPLICABLE
NOT APPLICABLE
NOT APPLICABLE
Canister vacuum cleaners comprise a rigid outer container, the housing unit, that contains the motor, air impeller, and a dust and dirt filter and collector and reservoir, often in the form of a disposable filter bag. The shape of the outer containers is either substantially rectangular or cylindrical, and has a hose assembly that attaches both to the housing unit and to a cleaning wand and/or power head. The housing unit usually has fixed shaft or swivel caster type wheels for ease of movement, and may be horizontally and/or vertically oriented as defined by the longer axis of the housing unit. The housing unit has an air entry port to which the hose assembly is mounted. In operation, the dirty air passes through the hose into the housing unit and then is filtered prior to exiting the machine. Some canister vacuum cleaners include wet or dry collection options.
When the vacuum is horizontally oriented, the hose is mounted at one end of the housing unit. A dirt filter and collector, such as a filter bag, is positioned adjacent to that end of the container and a motor is positioned behind it. In operation the air carrying dust and dirt passes through the hose into the dirt filter and collector and the filtered air passes by the motor before exiting the vacuum cleaner. Alternatively, when the vacuum cleaner is of the type with a vertical orientation of the housing unit, the motor is typically mounted on top of the housing unit and may extend into the housing. For vertically oriented canister vacuum cleaners the dirt reservoir may or may not be a filter bag. Sometimes the bottom portion of the housing unit acts as the dirt reservoir. More recent designs include housing units that can be operated in either the vertical or horizontal position.
Canister vacuum cleaners have a cleaning head attached to the end of the hose assembly distal to the entry port on the housing unit. The design results in a cleaning head, which is generally smaller, has better flexibility, and is more maneuverable for reaching lower and farther than an upright cleaner. However, canister vacuum cleaners suffer from a significant disadvantage. Typically when one is using a canister vacuum cleaner, for example to clean the flooring of the various rooms in a home, the hose is generally used to guide the movement of the canister or housing unit portion. This generally involves basically dragging the canister vacuum cleaner around the rooms, and between the rooms, by the hose. While pulling on the hose, the canister frequently bumps into impediments, for example corners of walls and furniture, and sometimes becomes wedged on such obstacles. When this happens, the operator must stop and walk back to the housing unit to free it of such obstructions before proceeding with the task of cleaning the floors. This can happen numerous times during a typical vacuuming job. Sometimes when the canister becomes stuck on such obstacles the hose can become disconnected. If the canister is vertically oriented with a high center of gravity it can tip over when encountering a low-lying obstacle. When the canister is being pulled by the hose, and it runs into a piece of furniture or the corner of a wall, an additional untoward result can be blemishes caused on the walls or furniture. An additional problem associated with the canister encountering such obstacles is that a normal tendency is to tug on the hose to see if the canister can be pulled free without the operator needing to walk back to the canister. The result of this can be premature wearing of the hose and the fitting where the hose is fitted to the canister. These problems not only occur when the vacuum cleaner is being used to clean a floor or other surface but also when one is transporting the vacuum cleaner from room to room or from its storage location to the area it is to be used. These problems are irritating, time consuming, and tiring.
Several attempts have been made to minimize these guiding and transport problems. One such attempt is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,967,862, which utilizes a robotic style mechanism which senses the angle of the obstruction contacted, stops the canister and backs it up and then turns far enough away from the obstacle to go around if safely. This solution, although eloquent, would add significantly to the cost and weight of a canister vacuum cleaner.
Another approach, taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,267,371 is to put the canister into a backpack. While this approach certainly solves the problems of the housing unit running into and getting caught on obstacles it requires much more strength and dexterity of the user and it would be very inconvenient and uncomfortable for many users.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,154,921 discloses a canister vacuum cleaner with a pivotal and locking handle about an axis that is substantially horizontal and perpendicular to the movement of the vacuum when it is in the working (horizontal) position. The main purpose of the handle is to provide easier lifting and carrying the canister housing, but does not appear to address the problems associated with the housing unit running into obstructions during use, unless the user actually carries the housing unit using this handle while using the vacuum cleaner. Carrying the full weight of the housing unit would be very tiring and inconvenient for the user. Thus there continues to be a need for an alternate solution to the problems associated with the guidance and transport of the housing unit portion of canister vacuum cleaner during use.
The object of this invention is to provide a solution to the problems, mentioned above, associated with the guiding and transporting of a canister type vacuum cleaner during use.
We have found that the addition of a handle, attached to the housing, that is adjustable to the height of the user and positioned such that the user can use the handle to move and guide the housing unit with one hand while moving about a room, or between rooms, while manipulating the hose assembly with the other hand creates a method of use that overcomes the aforementioned problems in a way that is comfortable and convenient for the user while not requiring the user to carry the full weight of the housing unit while using the vacuum cleaner.
Additionally, the addition of the handle, positioned on the housing so that the operator can use the handle to direct the movement of the canister with one hand while the other hand manipulates and guides the hose and power head, solves the problem of tipping that is present with vertically oriented canisters. The handle of the canister vacuum cleaner of this invention is preferably collapsible. A collapsible handle is one that has an extended use position, that positions the hand grip at a convenient height for use in guiding or transporting the housing using the wheels, and that has a storage position that takes the handle out of the way for easier storage by either telescoping or folding in a hinged manner to position the handle out of the way for storage. This allows the handle to be extended to a convenient height for individual users, for using the vacuum cleaner, and allows the handle to be collapsed into a storage position.
There are several known types of handles that can be used to achieve the canister vacuum cleaner of this invention. One preferred type of handle is a hinged handle, wherein it is hinged at the point where it is mounted to the housing unit. This hinged type handle has an extended, or folded up position, that places the handgrip at a convenient height for the user, and a collapsed, or folded down, position wherein the handle lies adjacent the housing to minimize the storage space needed for the canister vacuum.
Another preferred type of handle is a telescoping handle. Such a telescoping handle can be adjusted for height to place a handgrip at the distal end of the handle at a convenient height for individual users. It can also be telescoped into its base to position the handle out of the way for convenient storage of the canister vacuum cleaner. Yet another preferred type of handle is one that is telescoping and hinged so that when the handle is in the extended configuration it can be either extended along the main axis of the housing unit or positioned at an angle to place the handgrip at a convenient height for the user without requiring the user to lift any portion of the housing unit while using the vacuum cleaner. Both the hinged and telescoping handles can be either single or double shaft type handles.
It was also found that the addition of a handle, adjusted to the height of the user, combined with appropriately placed canister wheels or simple slide rails, provides an excellent transport system for moving the vacuum longer distances, for example from one part of a house to another. With this type of handle arrangement, the handle is positioned such that it can be used with one hand to pull the housing unit along, while the other hand carries the hose assembly. It is not necessary to lift and carry the housing unit for moving it from one location to another.
The back top of the housing unit of horizontally oriented canister vacuum cleaners of this invention can also include a built in stabilizing bar enabling it to stand upright when the operator is not holding the handle while operating the machine.
The location of the wheels will depend whether the housing unit of the vacuum is horizontally oriented or vertically with the former using wheels in the front and back. For horizontally oriented housing units the front wheels are defined as those at the end of the housing unit where the flexible hose assembly attaches to the housing unit, and the back wheels are those at the end of the housing unit opposite that end where the hose assembly attaches. The front wheels may beneficially be of the pivoting type. Alternatively the wheels may be one swivel in the front and two placed inside the plane of the back face such that the housing may be positioned horizontally or vertically. A permanently disposed vertical canister would have the wheels on the bottom of the housing unit. The handle and wheels may be totally integrated into the canister housing or alternatively a separate framework could be used.